Author Event: Mary Laura Philpott

Plenty is so excited to welcome national bestselling author Mary Laura Philpott to Cookeville. Mary's memoir Bomb Shelter was the 2023 winner of the Southern Book Prize and named by NPR as one of the best books of the year.  It is a poignant and powerful memoir that tackles the big questions of life, death, and existential fear with humor and hope. As a daughter, mother, and friend, Mary Laura Philpott considered herself an “anxious optimist”—a natural worrier with a stubborn sense of good cheer. And while she didn’t really think she had any sort of magical protective powers, she believed in her heart that as long as she loved her people enough, she could keep them safe. Then, in the early hours of one dark morning at home, her belief was upended. In the months that followed, she turned to poignant memories, priceless stories, and a medley of coping mechanisms…